That’s a really frustrating situation, and I think a lot of long-time sellers would have done exactly the same as you. Historically, refunding quickly to keep the buyer happy was the right move, especially when you had clear photo evidence of damage.

The issue here seems to be how “Simple Delivery” changes the process. Because eBay is effectively controlling the courier side, they also expect the claim to go through their system before a refund is issued. Once you refund, it closes the loop on their end, which unfortunately blocks the compensation route—even if the courier has admitted fault.

You’ve basically been caught between the “old way” of doing things (look after the buyer first, claim after) and the “new system” where eBay wants everything handled in a specific order.

It might still be worth going back to eBay support and pushing it, especially since you have written confirmation from Evri accepting responsibility. Point out:

• You used Simple Delivery (so courier choice wasn’t fully yours)

• You have photographic evidence

• Evri have already acknowledged fault

• You acted in good faith based on long-standing seller practices

Sometimes if you get the right agent, they can manually review and issue a goodwill credit, even if the case is technically closed.

But you’re absolutely right about the bigger issue—this setup creates a grey area where responsibility isn’t clear, and sellers lose control while still carrying the risk. That “buck passing” loop is exactly what people are starting to run into.

For future, it looks like the safest route (even if it feels wrong) is:

• Let the return/case run its course first

• Don’t refund until eBay instructs or the process completes

• Then claim through their system

Not ideal, but it seems to be how the current setup works.